Surface fluorinated hydrogen containing material and process for making

ABSTRACT

A MANUFACTURED MATERIAL AND A PROCESS FOR MAKING THE MATERIAL IS DISCLOSED. THE MANUFACTURED MATERIAL IS A HYDROGEN CONTAINING SUBSTANCE HAVING A FLUORINATED SURFACE AND IN WHICH HYDROGEN ATOMS, WHICH MAY BE PRESENT IN HYDROXYL RADICALS ATTACHED TO A CARBON ATOM CHAIN, HAVE BEEN REPLACED IN THE SURFACE OF THE MATERIAL BY FLUORINE ATOM OR RADICALS, AND WITH SUCH FLUORINATED SURFACE OF THE MATERIAL CONTAINING AT LEAST 2 MICROGRAMS OF SUCH FLUORINE PER CM.2 OF SURFACE AREA. THE PROCESS FOR MAKING SUCH A MATERIAL INCLUDES THE STEPS OF SELECTING A SUBSTRATE CONTAINING HYDROGEN ATOMS WHICH MAY BE PRESENT IN HYDROXYL RADICALS ATTACHED TO A CARBON ATOM CHAIN, SELECTING A GAS CONTAINING FLUORINE ATOMS OR RADICALS, PLACING THE SELECTED SUBSTRATE BETWEEN ELECTRODES IN A FLOWING ATMOSPHERE OF THE SELECTED GAS AT SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, AND SUBJECTING THE SUBSTRATE TO AN ELECTRODELESS DISCHARGE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 0.2 KWH./YARD2 TO CHEMICALLY ACTIVATE BOTH THE SURFACE OF THE SUBSTRATE AND THE GAS, AND EXCHANGE THE FLUORINE ATOMS OR RADICALS FOR SURFACE HYDROGEN ATOMS OR RADICALS TO PRODUCE A MATERIAL WITH A SURFACE, WHICH COMPARED TO THE SUBSTRATE BEFORE THIS PROCESS TREATMENT, IS MORE WATER REPELLENT (WITHOUT SEALING PORES), IS MORE CORROSION AND SOIL RESISTANT, MORE CHEMICALLY INERT, AND MORE LIKE THE RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE. WHEN THE SUBSTRATE IS A MATERIAL HAVING A RELATIVELY INERT SURFACE. SUCH AS POLYETHYLENE, THE PROCESS IS DISCLOSED AS INCLUDING AN INITIAL TREATMENT STEP THAT INVOLVES ION BOMBARDMENT OF THE SUBSTRATE IN HELIUM GAS TO ACTIVATE THE SURFACE BEFORE THE SURFACE IS TREATED IN THE FLUORINE CONTAINING GAS.

April 30, 1974 J. P. MANION ErA SURFACE FLUORINATED HYDROGEN CONTAINING MATERIAL AND PROCESS FOR MAKING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TO VACUUM SYSTEM GLASS INSULATION TUBE 3e METAL ELECTRODE 55 RING sEAL as as \TUBING OF MATERIAL TO BE TREATED 37 3] i TANTALUM WIRE SPIRAL ELECTRODE 4OIN PLANE PERPEIIDICULARIOCELL AXIS GAS INLET April 30, 1974 MAN|ON EI'AL 3,808,115

SURFACE FLUORINATED HYDROGEN. CONTAINING MATERIAL AND PROCESS FOR MAKING I 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug.

D E a m W H D. .D E E 1 0mm MHU Q B n u 0 0 m m vw m m 0 fizwofi @238 wzaonfi m Hm Hm wm 0mm 0 WU .UOx

Ami/@932 $3 5% SURFACE AREA 2 EXPOSURE TIME SECO United States Patent M SURFACE FLUORINATED HYDROGEN CONTAIN- ING MATERIAL AND PROCESS FOR MAKING Jean P. Manion, Milwaukee, and Daniel J. Davies,

Mukwonago, Wis., assignors to Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

Original application Aug. 1, 1969, Ser. No. 846,767, now Patent No. 3,674,667. Divided and this application Sept. 22, 1971, Ser. No. 188,670

Int. Cl. D21f 3/12; B01k 1/00; D06m 13/08 US. Cl. 204-165 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A manufactured material and a process for making the material is disclosed. The manufactured material is a hydrogen containing substance having a fluorinated surface and in which hydrogen atoms, which may be present in hydroxyl radicals attached to a carbon atom chain, have been replaced in the surface of the material by fluorine atoms or radicals, and with such fluorinated surface of the material containing at least about 2 micrograms of such fluorine per cm. of surface area. The process for making such a material includes the steps of selecting a substrate containing hydrogen atoms which may be present in bydroxyl radicals attached to a carbon atom chain, selecting a gas containing fluorine atoms or radicals, placing the selected substrate between electrodes in a flowing atmosphere of the selected gas at subatmospheric pressure, and subjecting the substrate to an electrodeless discharge of at least about 0.2 kwh./yard to chemically activate both the surface of the substrate and the gas, and exchange the fluorine atoms or radicals for surface hydrogen atoms or radicals to produce a material with a surface. which compared to the substrate before this process treatment, is more water repellent (without sealing pores), is more corrosion and soil resistant, more chemically inert, and more like the relatively expensive polytetrafluoroethylene. When the substrate is a material having a relatively inert surface, such as polyethylene, the process is disclosed as including an initial treatment step that involves ion bombardment of the substrate in helium gas to activate the surface before the surface is treated in the fluorine containing gas.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 846,767, filed Aug. 1, 1969, now Pat. No. 3,674,667.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to a product and a process for making the product, utilizing an electrical discharge to improve certain desired surface characteristics of certain nonmetallic materials and in particular for improving the water repellency of textiles and paper materials and corrosion resistance of polymeric materials; while maintaining unchanged such characteristics of the bulk of the material as the mechanical strength, the dielectric strength, and the resistance to thermal degradation. The field to which the present invention relates therefore encompasses treatments for providing a material with a combination of properties, i.e. properties associated with the surface and properties associated with the bulk of the material, not characteristic of the material before treatment.

Description of the prior art Although a wide variety of polymeric materials are available, both natural and synthetic, the desired combination of properties (at least at prices required for practical commercial applications) is frequently not found in any one material. Formulations involving mixtures of. com- 3,808,l l5 Patented Apr. 30, 1974 patible material with filler are frequently resorted to but with only limited success.

For the special need for materials having such as the previously mentioned desired surface properties combined with desired properties characteristic of the bulk of the material, graft polymerization has been used to apply a surface graft having the desired surface properties, on to a base of a polymeric material having other desired properties. According to the prior art this may be accomplished in either of two ways. One way is to activate a polymer surface with high energy radiation or an RF discharge in the presence of an eligible monomer as described in US. Pat. No. 3,068,510 to Coleman. A second approach known to the prior art involves the use of a polymer made under conditions which preserve an active site for the later graft reaction. In the first approach the radiation level required for significant surface treatment results in excessive crosslinking of the base material and subsequent loss of desirable bulk properties. The second approach is limited in application to special systems such as condensation polymers Graft polymerization, by whatever prior art approach it is achieved, involves a disadvantage when applied for the purpose of making such as a tenting material or wearing apparel water repellent. The disadvantage of graft polymerization is a result of complete surface sealing, including pores, which eliminates the property of air breathing so important to providing a comfortable rain repellent apparel or tenting material.

It is also known to the prior art that surfaces of natural and synthetic fibers (woven or nonwoven) may be treated with an electrical discharge in certain gaseous mediums to provide increased adhesion and wetting properties important to providing a surface which, for example, adheres to other materials or provides improved ink and dye retentlon, resistance to corona degradation, slip and antistatic properties. Adhesion, however, is a characteristic that may be viewed as being the opposite of water repellency. The gases used in these prior art practices to increase adhesive properties are inoperative to increase water repellency and corrosion resistance of materials so treated, which is sought and achieved, as will be later explained, by the present invention. Certain US. patents may be identified which are examples of this prior art approach (i.e.,treatmg a surface to increase its adhereability and wettability rather than applying a graft by either of the heretofore described graft approaches). For example, the prior art described in US. Pat. No. 3,291,712 to McBride discloses that perfluorocarbon polymers are very resistant to corrosion and the action of most chemicals and solvents. The McBride patent further states that perfluorocarbon polymers are therefore used to line pipes and vessels used to transport or store chemicals but that perfluorocarbon polymers do not adhere well to such surfaces. This McBride patent also discloses treating the surface of a perfluorocarbon polymer web with an electircal discharge in the presence of an amine vapor to render the perfluorocarbon web strongly adhereable to other materials so it can be easily applied to and will adhere well to pipes, vessels and the like.

Another example of a prior art patent related to treating polymeric-shaped structures to increase their adhereability to other materials and their wettability by other materials (i.e., ink, dye, etc.), is US. Pat. No. 3,255,099 to Wolinski. This Wolinski patent discloses achieving such objects by treating polymeric-shaped structures with an electrical discharge in the presence of a vapor of an inorganic agent having an ailinity for electrons.

1 Atomic Radiation and Polymers, A. Charlesby, Pergamon Press (1960), p. 498, et seq.

2 Chapiro, A., J. Polymer Set. 23 377 (1957).

Still another example of a prior art patent related to treating polymeric-shaped structures to improve its adhereability and in this case also its heat sealability, is another US. Pat. to Wolinski No. 3,255,089. This Wolinski patent discloses treating the surface of polymericshaped structures with an electrical discharge in the presence of an organic compound selected from the group consisting of polymerizable organic compounds, nonpolymerizable compounds having replaceable hydrogen atoms, and perhalohydrocarbons having a bond disasso ciation energy for the carbon halogen bond below 100 kilocalories. The stipulation that perhalohydrocarbons having a carbon-halogen bond below 100 kilocalories, in order to be within the scope of Wolinskis teachings, makes it completely clear to those skilled in this art, among whom the present inventors number themselves, that the Wolinski teaching excludes fluorine-containing perhalohydrocarbons such as are involved in the present invention, in different mechanisms and for different purposes, as will appear from the description to follow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the object of the present invention to provide new and improved materials by a process for upgrading the value of certain low cost materials to thus provide new and more useful materials, by treating the surface thereof to impart properties to the surface that are equal to or superior to properties of relatively high cost materials.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive process for upgrading the value of certain already relatively expensive materials by treating the surface thereof to further improve desired surface properties that are already possessed by and characteristic of such materials, and thereby increase the economic justification for using such expensive materials.

More specific objects of the present invention include providing a process for treating materials to improve the surface properties such as water repellency to make such materials more useful and comfortable for such as tenting and rain repelling apparel; and for treating materials to improve surface properties such as corrosion resistance to make such materials more useful for such as coating or wrapping wires and cables for underground burial.

These and other objects that are achieved in a manner that will be described, involve attaining goals which are the exact opposite of increasing adhereability, wettability, etc. which are the goals of the described prior art. It is in the nature of a discovery by the present inventors that the achievement of the objects of this invention requires a material to be treated which has in its surface hydrogen atoms which may be present in hydroxyl groups attached to a carbon atom chain, and a treating gas containing fluorine atoms or fluorine containing radicals. As will appear as the description of this invention proceeds, this invention does not involve graft polymerization (e.g., Coleman) nor does this invention involve treating a surface to make it more adhereable to other materials (e.g., Wolinski). This invention does, however, involve an electrical discharge being utilized to chemically activate both a surface containing hydrogen atoms or hydrogen radicals and a treating gas containing fluorine atoms or fluorine radicals (with gaseous perfiuoro compounds proving most satisfactory) resulting in an exchange of the fluorine atoms or radical for the hydrogen atom or radical, and the production of a surface that is more water repellent (without sealing pores), more corrosion and soil resistant, more chemically-inert and more like the relatively expensive polytetrafluoroethylene which is known by the Du Pont trademark Teflon, than was the surface before such treatment.

Materials which can be used as a substrate to be treated by the present invention, and which possess hydrogen atoms with or without hydroxyl radicals, attached to a carbon chain molecule include such as cotton, wool,

rayon, paper and the cellulosic polymers, polyethylene, polypropylene, and the polyolefins, nylon, Dacron, Orlon (Dacron and Orlon are Du Pont trademarks), and the polyesters, polyvinyl fluoride and the polyvinyl and polyacrylic polymers, epoxy, phenol formaldehyde, polyurethane, and a great many other such materials.

Treating gases containing fluorine atoms or radicals, operative with the present invention include the following perfiuoro compounds CF C F C 1 C F CHF and SP For treating some materials, for example polyethylene, a preferred process according to the present invention may include a pretreatment in helium gas to cleanup and activate the polyethylene surface for better treatment thereafter by the fluorine atom containing gas.

I TESTS AND MEASUREMENTS In the description of the invention to follow many examples will be described and evaluated relative to each other and control (untreated) samples of the same mate rials treated according to this invention. In order to present such evaluations certain tests and measurements were used which will now be described.

Water repellency Two tests for water repellency were used. One test was a static water drop test. This test consisted of placing drops of distilled water on a fabric surface to be tested using a spacing of approximately one drop per square inch. Delivery of the drops to the fabric surface was from a standard pipette to assure reasonable reproducibility of size. Water repellency rating was taken to be the time after drop addition to the first sign of fabric wetting, penetration or Wicking for any drop. The untreated control samples of cotton or paper tested absorbed a water drop completely in l3 seconds. The untreated control samples of synthetic cloths absorbed the drop completely in 15 minutes. Typically, a cloth, natural or synthetic, or paper, treated according to the present invention, maintained 28 drops for 24 hours (a 28-square-inch sample was usually tested).

A second test conducted for water repellency was the ASTM -D-58363 static immersion test (1968 Book of ASTM StandardsPart 24Textile Materials, American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, Pa.). The samples, after conditioning at a relative humidity of 65%, were weighed, immersed in water at an average hydrostatic head of 3.5 inches for 20 minutes at ambient temperature. The samples were then placed between two pieces of dry blotting paper and passed through a wringer having a constant load to remove interstitial water and reweighed. The percentage weight gain is taken to be due to the water absorbed.

Tensile strength Tensile strength of both dry and wet kraft paper was measured. One-half inch strips, 5 mils thick and eight inches in length were cut from treated paper and from untreated paper and the tensile strengths measured with an Instron Model TT-C Universal Testing apparatus. The use of a liquid immersion test attachment permitted Wet strength tests to be performed with the water level several inches above the upper Instron jaw.

Fluorine analysis Polyethylene film, cotton cloth and kraft paper samples were analyzed for fluoride content using a micromethod of Corrosion measurements The resistance of treated polyethylene surfaces to accelerated oxidative attack was determined by the immersion of treated samples according to the present invention in concentrated anhydrous chromic acid solution (150 milliliters conc. H SO /40 grams of Na Cr O at 75 C. and measuring their weight loss. Treated samples, together with an untreated control sample of polyethylene and a similar sample of polytetrafluoroethylene were ovendried and weighed before and after various times of acid contact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of an apparatus operative to demonstrate the present invention;

'FIG. 2 is a side view of the electrode arrangement in apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of an early model of a batch apparatus operative to practce the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a graph depicting corrosion resistance of materials;

FIG. 5 is a graph depicting fluorine content in the surface of materials; and

FIG. 6 is a graph depicting the effect of exposure time of a. material to a treatment according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a device for practicing and demonstrating the present invention includes a chamber 1 containing a supply roll 2 and a take-up roll 3 with a span of substrate material 4 extending therebetween through an inner chamber 5. The inner chamber 5 is provided with guide slits 6, 7 aligned to position a midportion of span 4 between an upper array of electrodes 8 and a lower array of electrodes 9. The electrodes 8, 9 are sup ported at their end portions by support walls 10, 11. Suitable means (not shown) may be applied to roll 3 to rotate roll 3 and draw material through the inner chamber 5. The inner chamber 5 is also provided with an evacuation port 12 for connection to a standard pump (not shown) such as a Welch Model 1397. The chamber 5 is also provided with a treatment gas inlet 14 for connection to gas supply sources (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the support walls 10, 11 are provided with gas flow holes 18 in wall below the span of material 4 and gas flow holes 19 above span 4 in wall 11. Gas admitted at 14 thus passes over and beneath the material 4 before being drawn out at 12. The gases used in the examples which will be described, were of commercial grades of CF (95-98% C F (99.6% C F (99.99% CCl F (99% SF (90 94%); N (98%) and helium (99.99%) produced by the Matheson Company Inc., and such gases with no further purification were used at the selected pressure, measured at a port 16 at extremely low flow rates, e.g., 5 millimoles of gas per minute.

Each electrode comprises a glass or metal tube 20, which may be for example a tube of borosilicate glass of 6 mm. outside diameter, and contains a filament 21 which may be a wire, a roll of metal foil or an electroplated metallic deposit on the inner surface of the tube. Each electrode of the upper electrode array 8 is connected electrically in parallel as were the electrodes of the lower array 9. Power was connected at electrodes 8a and 9a. The power source used (not shown) was a Lepel Model high frequency induction heating unit which Was modified to drive an air core, high frequency transformer for the production of high voltage in the 200 to 500 kc. frequency range. Electrical power dissipated in the chamber 1 was determined with a Tetronix oscilloscope, Model 536,

equipped with an electronic switch. Discharge voltage and current were observed simultaneously and the phase angle and frequency measured. 'Because the filament 21 is within such as a glass tube, the discharge is such as is known to those skilled in related arts as an electrodeless discharge.

Referring to FIG. 3, an apparatus is shown that is an early model of a batch apparatus used to treat materials in tubular form. This apparatus has a cylindrical cell 30 with a gas port 31 and a gas outlet port 32 for connection to a vacuum system (not shown). Openings 33, 34 are provided in cell 30 perpendicular to the gas inlet port 31 and gas outlet port 32. A metal electrode 35 is arranged within a closed end glass insulation tube 36 which projects through opening 33 into cell 30. A tubular sample 37 of material to be treated is arranged over the glass tube 36 to be centrally located within cell 30. A ring seal 38 is provided to prevent treatment gas escaping around the periphery of tube 36. A tantalum Wire spiral electrode 40 projects through opening 34 and is arranged to present the plane of the spiral -41 perpendicular to a central axis through cylindrical cell 30. The wire electrode 40 is drawn through a seal 42 inserted in opening 34. The power source is a Cenco Tesla Coil, catalog number 80700, driven by a 15 kv., 60 milliampere neon sign transformer and spark gap. Maximum primary circuit power was watts. Although load output was not determined, the known inefiiciency of this power unit accounts for the time required for effective treatment of polyethylene. As will be shown, treatment time and treatment power are inversely related. Treatment time can be reduced with increase in power and more efficient use of the power supplied than was possible with the Tesla unit used.

The present invention as practiced with either the apparatus of FIGS. 1, 2 or FIG. 3, provides a general polymer surface treatment technique which renders polymer film and solid surfaces (as opposed to porous or woven) more chemically-inert like Teflon and which produces an equally chemically-inert surface on porous fibers, porous paper, wood and woven textiles, natural and synthetic, rendering them water repellent without change in their porosity or air-breathing characteristics.

In general, surface treatment of the material to be treated, is accomplished by subjecting the material to an electrodeless discharge in an atmosphere of gas within chamber, in which the gas molecules contain fluorine atoms. As will appear from the description of examples to follow gaseous perfiuorohydrocarbons have been found to yield the best results with respect to treatment eificiency and absolute treatment achieved.

With the apparatus of FIG. 1, woven textile, polymer or paper sheets are drawn through slit 6, between the upper and lower electrode arrays 8, 9 in chamber 5 and through slit 7 to take-up roll 3. The vertical separation between the upper and lower electrode arrays 8, 9 has been varied and a separation of 0.5 inch between upper and lower electrode centers has been used to advantage with 6 mm. O.D. glass tube electrodes arranged in the arrays 8, 9. As stated previously, each glass tube contains a conducting filament 21 and the upper electrodes 8 are connected electrically in parallel as are the lower electrodes 9. An advantage for the electrode array shown in FIG. 1 is that both sides of the span 4 of film, paper or textile fabric are treated equally and, of course, simultaneously.

PROCESS VARIABLES Gas flow rates and condition At the discharge wattages used the lowest gas flow rates measured were found to yield adequate exchange and in examples to be described, was approximately 5 millimoles of CF, per minute at a pressure of 5 torr. For continuous operation over extended periods a small recycle pump (not shown) preceded by a chemical absorption chamber (not shown) may be used. The chemical absorption chamber can contain an alkaline substance such as sodium hydroxide or other alkaline material having low vapor pressure to react with the hydrofluoric acid and is followed by a section of drying agent such as 8-14 mesh activated alumina to insure the treatment gas being returned to the treatment chamber 1 as dry as possible. As will be shown later, the efliciency of paper treatment is decreased significantly by the presence of residual moisture in the paper.

Gas pressures The required pressure of the treatment gas has been found to vary with the type of surface being treated. Thus, although acceptable treatment of the textile fabrics, natural and synthetic, are obtained over a wide range of subatmospheric pressure, optimized treatment occurs over a moderately narrow pressure range around torr, that is, between about 0.5 and 50 torr. In the treatment of kraft paper effective treatment is achieved at pressures over the range 0.5 to 400 torr. In general it has been found that the pressure range in which treatment is optimized is related to the discharge voltage, sinusoidal or pulsed, as the case may be. Optimized pressure is proportional to voltage measured on load. In this connection, a pulsed voltage has been found desirable for film surface treatment with pulse voltage on load exceeding 20,000 volts, while a sinusoidal voltage performs satisfactorily for treatment of the porous and Woven fabric materials with load voltages of 1000 to 3000 volts proving adequate and it will be noted 2600 volts were utilized for Examples 4-8, Table II.

Power applied (and its relationship to treatment time) Series A Examples 1-3 A series A of Examples 1-3, set forth in Table I, show that treatment time and discharge power are inversely proportional. For each of these examples the flow rate of the treatment gas was 5.4 millimoles of CR per minute at a pressure of 5 torr. The apparatus of FIG. 1 was used. The treatment times used in most examples are determined primarily by the characteristics and capabilities of the electrical power supplies used. The energy required per unit of surface treated to the present optimized state has been found to be within the accuracy of the measurement 0.2 kwh./yard for a variety of surfaces studied including cotton, wool, paper and the synthetic fabrics. Examples shown in Table IV applied 0.2 kwh./yard and it will be noted that Example 14 achieved a water repellency test substantially better (i.e., 20.8%) than is shown in the following Table I which reports examples utilizing only about 0.07 kwh./yard Treatment time Series B Examples 4-8 In a series B of Examples 4-8 involving treatment times of from 25 to 400 seconds a span 4 of cloth to be treated with the apparatus of FIG. 1 (bleached and desired 80 x 80 weave cotton) was wound on the supply roll 2 and the end threaded through the guide slits 6, 7 and between the upper electrode array 8 and the lower electrode array 9 and attached to the take-up roll 3. (A series F of Examples 54-91 described later, will involve treatment times as short as 3 seconds.)

The treatment chamber 1 was sealed and evacuated via outlet port 12 using a Welch Model 1397 mechanical pump. After evacuation to below millitorr absolute the electrical terminals 21 of the electrodes 8a and 9a were connected to the described source of high voltage continuous wave radio frequency power. For the series B Examples 4-8, CF gas was admitted to the chamber via the inlet port 14 and its flow directed over and under the cloth via the gas flow holes 18, 19 (FIG. 2) in the electrode support panels 10, 11.

The CF gas pressure was read on a gauge connected to pressure gauge port 16 and adjusted by means of throttling outlet port 12 to the pressure of 5 torr after setting the flow rate at the value of the gas supply cylinder (not shown) to a value of 5.4 millimoles/min.

The area of cloth to be treated was moved into the space between electrode arrays 8 and 9, and the electrodes were subjected to an electrodeless discharge of 585 watts peak power at 2600 volts peak to peak measured at reaction chamber terminals 21, for the length of time indicated in the following Table II. Table -II shows how in the treatments of Examples 4-8, Series B, the amount of water absorbed was reduced compared to an untreated control sample of the same cotton cloth and the effect of treatment times on the results obtained.

TABLE II Water repellency (static immersion test) percent Treatment time, see.

Seriis B Example No.

Pretreatment wash Series C Examples 9-13 The materials used for Examples 9-13 were samples of the same bleached and desized -80 weave cotton cloth used for Series B Examples 4-8. In Examples 9-13 the samples were first thoroughly washed in distilled water to remove residual chemicals from desizing after which the same steps were followed in the treatment processing and testing as for Series B Examples 4-8. The following Table III shows how inclusion of a washing step in the treatment processing of series C examples made the material even more water repellent than the treatment processing of Series B as shown in Table II and lowered considerably the length of treatment required to achieve a given degree of water repellency as measured by the immersion test.

TABLE III Water repellency (static Treatment immersion time,

1 sec. percent Series 0 Example N0.:

Nature of the treatment gases Series D Examples 14-49 After treatment processes with 100-second treatments, i.e. Examples 14, 18, 22, 26 and 30, the treated cotton samples were also tested for water repellency using the static immersion test. For each of these Examples 14-49 the results shown in the following Table IV demonstrate that Materials treatedTextile fabrics other than cotton Series E Examples 50-53 Examples l-49 all involve cotton and Examples 50-53 of Series E, involve treating a variety of textile fabrics optimized treatment is: (a) restricted to the perfiuorocar- Other than cotton, according to the present invention.

bon gases, i.e. perhalohydrocarbons having the CX bond o t e e examples the treatment gas was CF at a presgreater tha 100 kilo alorie (where X=halo en), (b) sure of 5.0 torr and with a flow rate of 5.4 millimoles for the presence of hydrogen i a tre tm nt gas mole ul treatment times of 50 and 100 seconds as indicated in decreases significantly the efficiency of surface treatment Table V, which were also the conditions for the cotton achieved, (c) the presence of chlorine results not only Examples 5 and 6 of Series B- set forth in Table H. In the in a decrease in efficiency (longer treatment time refollowing Table V the Examples 5 and 6 are repeated for quired) but in a significant decrease in the maximum convenience in comparing with cotton the examples procamount of water repellency which could be obtained for essing wool, rayon, nylon and Dacron.

TABLE V Water Voltage repellency (max. peak static im- Example Treatment to peak Power mersion number Fabric time (see) volts) (watts) test, percent Rayon 50 2, 400 495 20. 0

ControL- Untreated rayon 32.8

51 Nylon 50 2,700 610 10.3

ControL Untreated nylon 14. 6

Cotton 100 2, 600 585 27. 0

Untreated co 56. 8

Untreated wool- 45. 8

53 Dacron 100 2, 700 66,0 14. 3

Control Untreated dacron 19. 3

any treatment time used, and (d) the use of N 0, an oxidizing agent and electron receptor resulted in no tr atment as measured by the water repellency tests.

TABLE IV Treatment time-(seconds) It is seen in the data of Table V that significant improvements in water repellency are obtained for all fabrics 100 sec. 100 sec. 50 sec.

sec.

10 sec Water repellency, static immersion test, percent (Control= Water repellency, water drop test,

hours (control=13 seconds) Gas 56.8%)

As appears from examples described, treatment gases are those containing the fluorine atom, with perfluoro compounds such as CF C F 0 F C F and SP the most satisfactory. The presence of hydrogen as in CHF in the treatment gas results in decreased efiiciency and the presence of chlorine as in CCl F reduces the amount of treatment achieved to almost negligible amounts. Gases such as tetrafluorethylene, hexafluoropropylene, are conceived as being good treatment gases. However, because of their unsaturation, polymerization as well as chemical replacement occurs and the polymerization reaction predominates. 'Fabrics treated in an atmosphere of C 1 quickly lose their hand to suffer loss of their air-breathing property. Similarly, reagents such as BE; and SiF are conceived as being good treatment gases. However, because of their rapid chemical reaction with even traces of moisture to yield the white powdered products, H BO and H SiO respectively, their use in a process requiring frequent opening of the reactor would result in contamination of the reactor and of treated porous materials with the H BO or H SiO and HF produced in their reaction with the moisture in the air.

treated and that even nylon, which is relatively water repellent before treatment, is improved by treatment.

Materials treatedCellulose-paper Series F Examples 54-91 Table VI to follow discloses the data obtained from a Series F of Examples 54-88, Table VI discloses data from Examples 89-90, and Table VIII discloses data from an Example 91. V

In Examples 54-91 the surfaces of a 5-mil thick Dryden kraft paper of intermediate porosity were treated with CF; treatment gas at pressures from 0.5 to 300 torr and with treatment times of 5 to 50 seconds for the examples in Table VI and of seconds for the examples in Tables VII and VIII. It was noted that a well-dried paper yields a significantly more efiective treatment. The data indicate that pressures of CF, up to 300 torr result in satisfactory treatment in the treatment time range of 25 to 50 seconds at the power level used.

The data of Table VI also shows that satisfactory treatment may be obtained with shorter treatment if the power is raised sufilciently. It can be notedthat Examples 64- 68 demonstrate that with a pressure of 50 torr and rela- TABLE VI tested to measure resistance to corrosion in the manner described in the section entitled Tests and Measurements. This approach has been chosen because polyethylene as a tubular sheath has been found to be particularly useful to protect wires and cables for underground 5 burial. In this use for polyethylene it is known that the Water repellency, water drop test (control for untreated sample=1-3 seconds), treatment Gas Relative times in seconds, water drop test in hours Example pressure discharge number (torr) power 50 see. 25 see. 12 sec. 6 sec. 3 see.

1 No test made.

Since Tables II and III indicated that little gain was 20 main factor contributing to degradation of the electrical achieved by extending treatments beyond 100 seconds, the conditions of Examples 59-63 (except for time) were repeated for 100 seconds as Examples 89 and 90 and results are shown in the following Table V11.

insulating properties of the polyethylene coating is oxidative degradation (Underwater Degradation of Polyethylene for Wire Insulation, a paper presented by Yoshida, Tsunemi, Hasebe, Morikuni and Fukuda, Teruo at the kraft paper).

Tables VI and VH therefore show by Examples 54-90 of the present invention, that water repellency of kraft paper as measured by the water drop test has been increased from a matter of l to 3 seconds, to a matter of several hours; and as measured by the static immersion test, the water repellency of kraft paper has been doubled.

Samples of the S-mil thick Dryden kraft paper of intermediate porosity were treated using the gas CF Treatment time was 100 seconds and the discharge power was 650 watts at a load voltage of 2.3 One-half inch strips, eight inches in length, were cut from the treated paper and from untreated paper and the tensile strengths measured with an Instron Model TT-C Universal Testing apparatus, in air, and with the use of auxiliary liquid immersion test equipment, under a 6-12 inch head of distilled water. The results are given in Table VIII.

TABLE VIII Tensile strength in lbs. 1 in. (averaged) After under water for Example number In air seconds 91 10, 625 2, 900 Control 10, 460 280 paper.

Materials treated-Polyethylene Series G Examples 92-105 Examples will now be given of the present invention applied to tubular samples polyethylene treated with the apparatus shown in FIG. 3. Samples so treated will be Fifteenth Annual Wire and Cable Symposium, Atlantic City, NJ., U.S.A., Dec. 8, 1966).

40 Example 92 A 2-cm. long section of A" ID, O.D. polyethylene tubing was placed on the combination electrode-sample holder tube 36 in the cell 30 (FIG. 3) and the cell evacuated via the outlet port 32. Helium gas was introduced into the cell 30 through port 31 at a constant slow flow rate and at a pressure of 0.12 torr. The two electrodes 35, 40 were connected to the output terminals of a Cenco No. 80700 Tesla coil powdered by a Cenco No. 80365-3 high voltage transformer which in turn was energized by a 60 Hz., 28 v. RMS source. The resulting discharge containing pulses of up to 35 kv. was continued for a total of 8 minutes with the sample holder 36 and sample 37 rotated one revolution during this time to insure uniform exposure of the outer surface of the sample to the discharge.

Following this pretreatment, the helium gas was turned off and the CE; treatment gas introduced at a pressure of 0.5 torr and substantially the same flow rate. A discharge of essentially the same characteristics was carried out in the CE, environment for a total of 20 minutes with the sample holder 36 and sample 37 again rotated one revolution during this time to assume uniform exposure of the sample surface.

After treatment the sample 37 was removed from the treatment cell and oven dried to constant weight, along with an untreated control and a similar sample of the premium price polytetrafiuoroethylene (Teflon). The weighed sample, control and polytetrafiuoroethylene were then immersed in the oxidizing, corrosive environment provided by chromic acid solution at a concentration typically used for cleaning glassware, 150 ml. conc. H 80 +40 g. Na Cr O at 75 :1 C. for 6 hours, following which the sample and control were again dried and weighed. For tubular samples weighing 700 :20 mg. and an exposed area of 6 cm. the following results were ob- 13 tained as set forth in Table IX and plotted in the graph shown as FIG. 4.

TABLE IX Weight loss (in mg.) after 6 hours immersion in chromic acid to 75 C.

A B C D E Treated polyethylene samples 2. 6 2. 6 2. 7 3. 7 2. Control (untreated polyethylene) 19. 3 19. 4 20.6 20. 7 22. 2 Teflon 0.1

Example 93 Two samples of tubing, as used in Example 92, were treated in the manner described in Example 92 with the single exception that C F was substituted for CE; as the treatment gas to indicate the feasibility of using other fluorocarbon gases. The following results were obtained as set forth in Table X.

TABLE X Wt. loss after 6 hrs. immersion in chromic acid at 75 C.

Treated polyethylene sample, mg 5. 7 Treated polyethylene sample, mg... 5. 8 Control (untreated polyethylene), mg 18. 3

Example 94 Wt. loss after 6 hrs. immersion in chromic acid at 75 C.

Treated polyethylene sample 3.1 mg. (total film weight=60.8 mg.). Control (untreated) 20.5 mg. (total film weight=63.2 mg.).

Examples 95 and 96 A series of three samples were treated, one repeating Example 92 and two (Examples 95 and 96) following the procedure of Example 92 but with the time duration of the helium discharge varied, in each case the sample was rotated one full revolution during the helium discharge. The following results shown in Table XII were obtained which indicate the added desirability of pretreatment prior to the treatment in the fluorocarbon gas discharge:

TABLE XII Wt. loss due Helium to corrosi n discharge in chromic Example time, min. acid, mg.

(Example 95) 4 13. 5 92 8 2. 5 (Example 96) l6 2. 4

Examples 97-99 Three samples of polyethylene tubing as described in Example 92 were treated in accordance with the procedure of Example 92 except that the helium pressure used during the helium discharge was varied. The following results shown in Table XIII were obtained which show that low pressure is required for the pretreatment step. The amount of weight loss due to corrosion is seen to increase sharply at the highest of the three pretreatment pressures used.

TABLE XIII Helium Wt. loss durdischarge lng chromlc pressure, acid corro- Example tonsion, mg.

Examples -102 Three samples of polyethylene tubing were treated and tested according to the procedure described in Example 92 except that the time of exposure to the CE, discharge was varied. The following results shown in Table XIV were obtained showing the effect of the treatment time in the fluorocarbon gas discharge.

TABLE XIV Treatment time to Wt. loss dur- CF4 dising chromic charge, acid corro- Example min sion, mg.

Examples 103-105 TABLE XV CF dis- Wt. loss dureherge ing chromic pressure, acid corro- Example torr sion, mg.

MECHANISM OF THE INVENTION The mechanism operative in achieving the surface changes described and illustrated in the examples which have been described is describable by a series of chemical steps initiated by the discharge. Although it is not intended to restrict this patent by mechanism, it is felt that the consistency of the data with the explanation of mechanism to follow together with the difference in kind of the changes which are observed to serve to describe the present invention as well as to distinguish it from the inventions and changes achieved in the processes of others, e.g., Wolinski and Coleman which have been discussed under the Description of the Prior Art.

The mechanism, in brief, visualized the activating of a gaseous species containing a desired reactant, for example, the fluorine atom in the presence of the surface with which it is to react. If the surface is sufi'iciently reactive, the reaction is carried to the limits permitted by reaction equilibria and the surface properties desired.

For the special and somewhat unusual case of a relatively inert surface such as polyethylene, pretreatment of the surface by discharge in helium gas at a. pressure low enough to permit effective ion bombardment (and activation of the surface) precedes treatment in the reactant gas. The low gas pressure requirement observed for pretreatment is believed to reflect the need for an average mean free path large enough to insure ion energies capable of rupturing chemical bonds. Polyethylene may be taken as an example of an inert surface requiring both pretreatment and treatment.

Pretreatment in helium at 0.1 torr (1) Discharge ionization of the helium He He+ e- (2) Activation of the polyethylene sites by energetic helium ions bond).

H x H x Treatment in GB; at 5 torr (1) Discharge activation of CE;

(2) Reaction of discharge species with active polyethylene sites (a) -b- F -E- (n (r)x For the case of the more reactive surfaces such as, for example, the cellulosics, cotton or paper, the following equations serve to account for the observed behavior:

Treatment in CE;

(1) Discharge activation of CR (2) Reaction of discharge species with active cellulose surface (3) Addition of active gas species to the active surface sites Test of mechanism-Saturation of treatment To distinguish between chemical reaction with the S111? face as illustrated in the above equations and discharge initiated polymerization onto the surface, the following experiment Was devised. A series of 80 weave cloth samples were selected to be as uniform as possible and were discharge treated in CE; for varying lengths of time over a significantly wider range of treatment time than was used in the treatment optimization study. The samples were then analyzed for fluoride content. If the prevailing treatment reaction is replacement of a surface atom by F or CF saturation of the surface with F should be reached for the samples treated for the excessive time periods and a plot of fluoride content versus treatment time should fall off from a linear relationship. Conversely, if polymerization occurs to any significant extent, no saturation With treatment time should occur and the amount deposited should be deposited linearly in time. Parameters such as discharge power and gas pressure were maintained constant.

The results, FIG. 6, show the rate of the fluoride content addition to the cotton samples to fall off rapidly after seconds of treatment and remain almost unchanged after 250 seconds indicating that deposition by polymerization is very limited or completely absent.

Correlation between calculated fluoride content of Saturated (perfluorinated) polyethylene surface and the fluoride found in analyzed samples treated according to Example 94 Polyethylene films, 6 mils thick, and having macro surface areas of 4 square centimeters were discharge treated in CR; on both sides as described in Example 94 were analyzed for fluoride being a modification of the method of Fluorine Analysis which has been described. The results, plotted in FIG. 5, show a fluoride content of the treated film to be linear in treated area. After correction for a low concentration of fluoride in the untreated polyethylene, discharge applied fluoride is calculated from FIG. 5 to be 2.79 micrograms of fluoride per square centimeter of treated surface.

One can with the help of some simplifying assumptions calculate an approximate number of replaceable surface 1 7 hydrogen atoms on a polyethylene surface area for comparison with the observed fluorine atoms found per unit of macro area. If one assumes a polyethylene microsurface having an average of 1.25 angstrom cm.) distance between carbon atoms, based on a 1.54 10- C-C bond distance and an average bond angle of 120, accessibility of treatment to all surface hydrogen atoms, and for simplicity, uniformity of carbon atom array in the surface plane, one can calculate the potentially replaceable hydrogen atoms as atoms/cm? of micro surface assuming two replaceable CH bonds per carbon atom. An increase of a factor of two to three over this value calculated for a smooth surface can easily be expected depending on the ratio of micro to macro surface. The value observed 2.79 micrograms/cm. for fluorine content of the surface-treated films corresponds to a value of 2.79 X 10"X 6 X 10 atoms/cm), 6X1O =atoms/mole and 19=grams/atom mole for fluorine, a value quite consistent with the value of 2.6)(10 atoms/cm. calculated from a model which assumed the replacement of surface H atoms by F atoms.

The assumptions made for the foregoing calculation were intentionally and to a degree necessarily oversimplified. Assumptions of a flat and of uniform of CC bond distances in both directions in the surface plane, for example, are over-simplified, but the errors introduced by their assumption would be compensatory and of the same approximate magnitude. Similarly, the assumptions of complete tefionation, that is 100% conversion of all accessible CH bonds to CF or CCF bonds and that only the surface is fluorinated lead to presumably smaller and compensatory errors.

One can therefore expect to predict to within at least an order of magnitude the fluorine-content per square centimeter of treated polyethylene film and in particular should be able to differentiate a surface perfluorination reaction from a polymerization reaction onto the surface. It has been here shown that the calculated value for F atoms/cm. of surface is 26x10 which compares very well with the 8.8)(10 atoms/cm. found upon chemical analysis of a large group of the treated films. The fact that the measured value is greater than the calculated value is felt to reflect the oversimplified assumption of flat surface. In fact, the microsurface area is significantly larger than the assumed macrosurface area due to the surface roughness.

By the foregoing description of apparatus, process steps and resulting materials of manufacture, it has been shown that by the present invention a treatment process has been found which increases the stability of polyethylene to oxidative attack. A 7-fold decrease in weight loss of treated samples was observed after 6 hours in chromic acid at 75 C. Weight loss of treated samples was 0.47 mg./cm. compared to 3.4 mg./cm. for untreated polyethylene for comparable 6-hour exposures. It has also been by the foregoing description that the present invention is applicable to a wide range of natural and synthetic polymers is woven or porous sheet form. As expected for the case of perfluorination increase in water repellency has been found to be a general property change. The water absorption of cotton cloth with a natural water absorption, (ASTM D-583-63), of 57% has been reduced to -20%. Water absorption of wool cloth has been reduced from 58% to 22%. Treatment of nylon, which is already water repellent, decreased its water absorption from 15% to 11%. Treatment of kraft paper resuletd in a reduction of its natural water absorption from 82% to 39% and an increase in wet tensile strength from 280 lbs./ in. to 3000 lbs./in.

These observed desirable changes in properties have been related to the addition of fluorine or fluorine-containing groups to the surfaces in question and new materials having the aforesaid desirable characteristics have been thereby created. Microchemical analysis of polyethylene film surfaces which had been discharge treated and shown to possess seven times the corrosion resistance of untreated films were found to contain 2.79 micrograms of fluorine per cm. of surface. Similarly, analysis of treated --80 weave cotton cloth (water absorption: 29%) showed a fluorine content of 21.5 micrograms per square centimeter of macro surface. In general, fluorine content has been shown to be linear in discharge treatment time at short treatment times.

From the foregoing detailed description of the present invention, it has been shown how the objects of the invention have been attained in various preferred manners. However, further modifications and equivalents of the disclosed concepts such as readily occur to those skilled in the art are intended to be included Within the scope of this invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A process for manufacturing a material including the steps of: selecting a substrate from a group consisting of substances having in the surface thereof hydrogen in the form of hydrogen atoms and substances having in the surface thereof hydrogen in the form of hydroxyl radicals chemically bound to a carbon chain; selecting a treatment gas from a group consisting of perfluoro gases containing fluorine in the form of fluorine atoms and perfluoro gases containing fluorine in the form of fluorine radicals; arranging the selected substrate between electrodes separated by an insulating material; flowing the selected gas between the electrodes and in contact with the substrate; and applying electric power to the electrodes to subject the substrate in said flowing atmosphere of gas to an electrodeless discharge of electrical energy until both the surface of the substrate and the gas are chemically activated and hydrogen in the surface is replaced by fluorine from the gas thus producing a material having a fluorinated surface on the substrate.

2. A process for manufacturing a material including the steps of: selecting a substrate from a group consisting of substances having in the surface thereof hydrogen in the form of hydrogen atoms and substances having in the surface thereof hydrogen in the form of hydroxyl radicals chemically bound to a carbon chain; selecting a treatment gas from a group consisting of CR C 1 C F C 1 CHF and SP arranging the selected substrate between electrodes separated by an insulating material; flowing the selected gas between the electrodes and in contact with the substrate; and applying electric power to the electrodes to subject the substrate in said flowing atmosphere of gas to an electrodeless discharge of electrical energy until both the surface of the substrate and the gas are chemically activated and hydrogen in the surface is replaced by fluorine from the gas thus producing a material having a fluorinated surface on the substrate.

3. A process according to claim 1 in which said group from which said substrate is selected consists of cotton, wool, rayon, paper and the cellulosic polymers, polyethylene, polypropylene and the polyolefins, nylon, Dacron, Orlon and the polyesters, polyvinyl fluoride and the polyvinyl and polyacrylic polymers, epoxy, phenol formaldehyde and polyurethane.

4. A process according to claim 1 in which said power is applied to subject the substrate in the flowing atmosphere of gas to said discharge until the hydrogen replaced by fluorine provides in said surface at least about 2 micrograms of such fluorine per cm. of surface area.

5. A process according to claim 1 in which said atmosphere of gas is flowing at the rate of approximately 5 millimoles per minute.

6. A process according to claim 1 in which said flowing gas is at a pressure within a range from 0.25 to 400 torr.

7. A process according to claim 1 in which power is applied to the electrodes to provide a discharge of at least about 0.07 to 0.2 kwh. per yard of surface area.

8. A process according to claim 1 in which said power is applied to subject the substrate in the flowing atmosphere of gas to said discharge for a period of from 3 to 400 seconds.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Frohlich 204-165 Mantell 204-165 Wolinski 204-165 Hansen et a1 204-168 Pecka 204-165 Hayward 204-165 Bersin 204-165 F. C. EDMUNDSON, Primary Examiner 

